LAGOS State House of Assembly said on Tuesday that the danger over the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) poor financial status
was that President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration was fast losing
war against corruption in the country.
The assembly said this in a
statement issued by the Chairman, Committee on Information, Strategy,
Security and Publicity, Honourable Segun Olulade, noting that if a
leading anti-graft agency like EFCC could be starved of funds, it was
obvious that the government was not serious and sincere at fighting
corruption as often claimed.
The parliament reacted to the
statement credited to the commission’s secretary, Mr Emmannuel
Adegboyega, that the agency could not meet up with its obligations any
more due to lack of funds.
“It is now obvious that if Nigerians
are looking forward to a society free of corruption, there is no hope of
getting that in this present administration. The present government is
starving anti-graft agency of funds and loosening its purse for those
who are loyal and committed to personal political ambition of Mr
President,” the assembly said.
“This administration must renew
its commitment to Nigerians on fight against corruption or the National
Assembly intervenes to do the needful as Nigerians cannot continue to
endure with government that deliberately chose to take a cause inimical
to the growth of the nation, staying on the cause perpetually in spite
of cries of the citizenry for a better life,” the statement said.
The
Assembly, however, noted that the EFCC had not been fighting corruption
in the real sense of it, saying that the agency was playing the cards
of the government at clamping on opposition and could not, therefore, be
effective as such in it war against the malaise.
“The agency is
playing the cards of the government at clamping on opposition and cannot
be effective as such; the agency cannot be transparent in its
activities to prosecute criminals if it is broke from time to time; the
agency is vulnerable and can compromise if it lacks funds.
“All
these have to be addressed by Mr President rather than keeping mute on
every serious issue raised about management of the country.
“If
EFCC has only N2million left in its account, and has been crying for
funds over the time, and people it is meant to prosecute are stealing
billions of dollars freely right in the nose of the government, it
becomes obvious that the government itself finds corruption a sine qua
non to its existence; and that will be too bad for our country,” the
statement said.
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